Category Archives: Beer Reviews

An article by Noah Forrest A few weeks back, Avant-Garde Artisans Brasseurs hosted their second ever barrel-aged bottle release at their home inside the Oshlag brewery in Montréal. This contract brewery, with Renaud Gouin and Shawn Duriez at the helm, has had a pretty exceptional year. Last April these guys dished out some tasty barrel-aged […]

An article by Noah Forrest About two years ago I wrote about The Wild Shack for the first time. Back then, you probably had no idea who they were. That has changed. The talented and sexy duo behind The Wild Shack are the illustrious Remi Galipeau and Maxime Dallaire. And this year, they have been […]

An article by Noah Forrest As much as one can say that label art shouldn’t effect how we choose a given bottle of beer, it certainly still does. This is especially true for individuals who are first discovering craft beer (or any product, really). If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’ll often end […]

An article by Noah Forrest This week, Dieu du Ciel! is releasing a new winter mix pack called Caisse d’hiver! Starting this week, it will be available for purchase in stores all across the province. This soon-to-be illustrious case of beer contains four different barrel-aged creations for us to sip on over the holidays. Three […]

An article by Noah Forrest The Toronto brewing scene is blowing up more and more every year. Bellwoods is quickly becoming one of the best in the country, while countless other Toronto-based breweries produce some exceptional beers. Even when you venture outside the greater Toronto area, there are still some fantastic breweries. Half Hours on […]

An Article by Noah Forrest Barrel-aging beer is nothing new at this point. Whether it’s bourbon and whiskey barrels, or even wine barrels, it seems that at this point most breweries have dabbled in the process. Alcohol-infused oak lends new layers of complexity to the beer that’s being aged. Bourbon will impart lots of vanilla […]

An Article by Noah Forrest Spontaneous fermentation has come to Québec. Microbrasserie Pit Caribou will be the first to showcase this process with a brand new beer called Perséides Spontanée no. 1. It will be released tomorrow (Friday, November 3rd) at their brewery in Percé as well as at a handful of select stores around […]

An article by Noah Forrest In the span of less than three years, Brasserie Auval has become one of the most sought after and hyped breweries in Canada. Whenever a new beer drops, the online trading forums light up with those seeking and trading these illustrious beers. To say they are hyped is a bit […]

An article by Noah Forrest Two Saturday’s ago marked the 2017 Brasserie Dunham Fall bottle release, an event that helps one cope with the impending winter doom that awaits us. As usual, many incredible barrel-aged bottles were sold to thirsty patrons in the beautiful town of Dunham, Quebec. In previous years, the list of available […]

An Article by Noah Forrest Dieu du Ciel! spoiled us last year. They released so many new beers that it was actually hard to keep up – especially for a fanboy blogger like myself. This year was a bit more restrained for DDC in the “new release” department, and instead, they seemed to fine-tune their […]

An article by Noah Forrest A few months ago, I tested some handmade beer glasses from the Pretentious Glass Co. in order to examine how different craft beer styles work in conjunction with craft glassware. These glasses were smooth, durable and uniquely constructed. I was impressed with their design and general function. They had a […]

An article by Noah Forrest Last June I spend several hours wandering through Mondial de la Bière (Montréal’s largest beer festival), trying beer after beer from some of Quebec’s best. When I arrived at the Brasserie Harricana kiosk, I was greeted by an old friend, Francis Richer, who had recently taken the helm as head […]

An article by Noah Forrest Most of my writing efforts center around the Quebec and Ontario brewing scene within Canada. That said, I’m changing directions today so that I can talk for a moment about pretty much the best IPAs in the world right now. And of course, I’m referring to Trillium Brewing Company in Boston, […]

An article by Noah Forrest Barrel-aged wild ales and sours have taken Québec by storm over the last few years, and I for one am more than happy to be one of this province’s guinea pigs. When breweries gain experience, their experimentation becomes tighter. As a result, innovative beers that are not only interesting – […]

An article by Noah Forrest Let’s be honest, for the most part, the modern craft beer enthusiast isn’t particularly excited about traditional German-styled lagers and ales (with the exception of the hyper-trendy Berliner Weisse). This is certainly not the case for everyone, but I believe the success of the Pilsner and it’s aggressive annihilation of […]

An article by Noah Forrest Like so many Montreal “Anglos,” I grew up in the West Island. I lived there for a good portion of my life. As a people, I don’t think we are particularly well-liked by the rest of the city. Many see West Islanders a people who act entitled in some way, […]

An article by Noah Forrest Summer is finally taking hold of Montréal, or at least we can hope. I was recently on vacation and the weather was garbage for the most part. That said, the colder temperatures allowed me to kill off a few imperial stouts. However, I think many of us are looking forward […]

An article by Noah Forrest “Beer geek” is a popular term within the craft beer community. A lot of people (including those who label themselves as one) consider beer geeks to be an individual who knows a lot about beer, to the point where they see themselves an expert of sorts. And this isn’t wrong, […]

An article by Noah Forrest Well, another Mondial de la bière has come and gone. However, this year I was able to make it out to the event for a few hours in order to take in some of the deliciousness. For the last couple of years, I’ve approached the event rather differently. I used […]

An Article by Noah Forrest Not only is craft beer refreshing in a literal sense, but also from an entrepreneurial perspective. Countless breweries learn from each other, exchange ideas, and actually work on collaborative products. When these things occur, it challenges our traditional notion of what competition is and what it means to run a […]

An article by Noah Forrest Last year I blasted you all with an onslaught of articles about Dieu Du Ciel! Pretty much every month I had a new beer to talk about. It wasn’t my fault though, they just kept pumping out new bottle after new bottle – they were basically completely re-doing their Momentum […]

An article by Noah Forrest After drinking eleven different vintages (and variants) of Dieu du Ciel!‘s Solstice Hiver in one sitting last year, I really didn’t think we’d be able to top it, but we did… Over the last half decade or so, I’ve been collecting bottles of Équinoxe Du Printemps: Dieu du Ciel!’s maple […]

An article by Noah Forrest With two very young children, it’s needless to say that it can be quite a challenge to go anywhere. Like, ever. However, once in a while my in-laws will take the kids so we can step back out into the real world and walk around without a toddler dangling from […]

An article by Noah Forrest In the past, when writing about the various Brasserie Dunham releases, I always felt kind of bad because the bottles were only available upon pre-order, and at the point when the article when out, it was often too late. However, Dunham has been doing such a good job lately that […]

An article by Noah Forrest Sometimes when you meet someone new, you instantly click. That was certainly the case when the guys from Brasserie Dunham met the folks behind California’s The Libertine Brewing Company during a St. Petersburg beer festival a few years back. However, as much as you connect, get along, and seem to […]

An article by Noah Forrest I’ve been a fan of Microbrasserie Pit Caribou for years. However, for some odd reason, this is the first post I’ve written about them. I remember the first time drinking their Robust Porter and being impressed with it’s luscious body and accessible drinkability. I’ve always thought that their products were […]

An article by Noah Forrest At this point, it feels like every week a new brewery opens up in Québec. I mainly notice this when one of the stores I follow on social media posts a lineup of bottles or cans carrying a logo that I don’t recognize. And if I’m honest, I tend to […]

Avant-Garde Artisans Brasseurs will be celebrating their first anniversary this coming weekend. To commemorate the occasion, they are throwing a bottle release party at the Oshlag Brasserie & Distillerie, where all theirs beers are made. Premier anniversaire d’Avant-Garde Saturday, April 15th 2017 13:00-15:00 Further details right here. Avant-Garde is the brain child of Renaud Gouin […]

An article by Noah Forrest So if you haven’t noticed, Microbrasserie La Memphré has been releasing some pretty damn impressive beers lately, and the local Québec craft beer scene is taking notice. Just a few weeks back, the trading forums were lighting up with people searching for Ralph Merry (Memphré’s delicious barrel aged Scotch Ale […]

An article by Noah Forrest Back in December, Les Trois Mousquetaires had their annual Double IPA Bottle release. It was delayed a few months, but thankfully it still happened! On the same day, they released a brand new bottle in their Baril D’exception series; an Islay Scotch barrel aged version of their Baltic Porter. I’m not […]

An article by Noah Forrest The beer community has strong opinions about proper glassware. Some think it’s of the utmost importance, while others think it’s complete nonsense. I think that maybe it falls somewhere in the middle. I love glassware. I collect it, and I very much enjoy tailoring the beer I’m drinking to a […]

An Article by Noah Forrest Québec has historically been a bit behind the times when it comes to hop forward beers. I first started getting into craft beer about six years ago, and at the time there wasn’t much that fell into the American IPA spectrum within Québec. A few examples existed, but nothing in […]

An Article by Noah Forrest If you are unfamiliar with Péché Mortel, I suggest you change that – you’ve been missing out. Let’s bring you up to speed. Péché Mortel is a coffee infused Imperial Stout brewed by Dieu du Ciel! It’s been around for close to two decades, is generally rated as the best […]

An article by Noah Forrest Surprise! That’s right, Brasserie Dunham up and decided to have a small bottle release at the end of February. I usually like to tell you about these things ahead of time, but in this case, the release actually happened last Saturday. If you’re lucky enough though, they probably still have bottles […]

An Article by Noah Forrest Toronto’s Great Lakes Brewery has just celebrated their 30th Anniversary! This is a massive milestone in the craft beer community, making them one of the first craft breweries in the country. I’ve written several articles about GLB at this point. Generally, they have all centered around the pretty magnificent hopped […]

An article by Noah Forrest 2017 has arrived. Trump is president. Sigh. At least there is good beer to be had. Perhaps all these delicious craft elixirs can numb the pain of watching endless videos of that floppy faced orange buffoon, as he tries to set us back fifty years. Sadly, I don’t think there […]

An article by Noah Forrest By nature we are competitive. Some more than others of course, but our natural affinity towards competition manages to shape our lives in many ways. It has certainly shaped our economy. Businesses often grapple with one another, each trying to stay ahead of the other while generally viewing their peers […]

An article by Noah Forrest What happens when one of the best breweries in Canada teams up with one of the best breweries in the world? Is the result perhaps the best “gluten-free” beer ever made? That’s right, Shawinigan’s own Le Trou du Diable teamed up with Vermont’s Hill Farmstead Brewery to create a collaborative, […]

An article by Noah Forrest When keeping a beer cellar, you generally want to fill it with bottles that can stand the test of time. However, that’s only if you can muster the self restraint needed to avoid drinking the beers you actually intend to age. It’s the ongoing internal struggle of the cellaring beer-geek. […]

An article by Noah Forrest “Hey Noah, when the hell are you going to stop writing so many damn articles about fruit beer!?” Well, maybe I’ll stop when fruit stops tasting so damn delicious! Alright, so no one has actually asked me that question, but I’m sure some people have thought about it. But I’m […]

An Article by Noah Forrest Boréale is at it again with the latest edition of their growing Épisode series of beers. The beers from this lineup are innovative creations by Boréale’s brewmaster, Gabriel Dulong. Brewed in small batches in a eight hectolitre pilot brewery, the Épisode project allows Gabriel to brew interesting, craft-focused beers without the […]

An article by Noah Forrest So, 2016 was pretty much a giant pile of shit. Luckily though, the Quebec beer scene wasn’t a part of all this shittiness, and has instead continued to thrive and improve, exploding with new and amazing beers almost every week. Now, not all the beers were fantastic, that’s for sure, […]

An article by Noah Forrest I’ve been a busy boy these last few weeks. It seems like every couple of days yet another brewery is releasing amazing beers right before the holidays. I’ve been fortunate enough to drink them, and even more fortunate to have been given the opportunity to write about most of them. […]

An article by Noah Forrest In June 2016, Microbrasserie Vox Populi hit the Quebec beer scene with their flagship Double Fruit Punch IPA. Shortly after came Anna, a hopped up Belgian Tripel, and then their Kettle Sour. The folks behind this gypsy brewery are constantly trying to improve their products; their philosophy is that they […]

An article by Noah Forrest The beer landscape has been expanding and changing at an exponential rate over the last few decades. However, in the last couple of years, things have been progressing that much more rapidly. This means more brewers, more breweries, more beer styles, more trends, and more beer geeks. As all these […]

An article by Noah Forrest Well, since the cancellation of Les Trois Mousqutaire‘s Double IPA day back in August, we have all stood by, patiently waiting on news of whether it would happen at all this year. Well, thankfully, it will! In fact, if you didn’t know already, it’s happening tomorrow morning! So, I guess that […]

An Article by Noah Forrest For those who don’t know, L’Espace Public is a brew-pub located in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve quartier of Montreal. Without an ounce of pretentiousness, this tiny unassuming bar fits the vibe of the area perfectly, carrying a worn-in urban edge that still feels inviting. I’ve spent several nights there, and I’ll spend many […]

An article by Noah Forrest This will be my third article about Brasserie Auval within a year. In that short time, they have has managed to climb the ranks, becoming one of the most sought after breweries in the country. Every day now, Facebook trading forums are lined with posts about Brasserie Auval. When their […]

An Article by Noah Forrest Over the last few years, Microbrasserie Le Castor has managed to carve itself a spot as one of the best breweries in Quebec. Their popularity first exploded when they released their flagship IPA, Yakima, which at the time was probably the only solid American IPA in the province. Years later […]

An article by Noah Forrest I may need to warn you, this is a bit of a long article. I’m sorry, but there was just too much to say and I had several bottles to drink and talk about. It’s okay though, because Half Hours on Earth is worth your time, trust me. It was […]